Organizers and Volunteers Recognized for Their Part in Expanding the Rainbow Over International Borders and Strengthening the Battle Against Homophobia

WorldPride 2014 Toronto has been an extraordinary LGBT happening on a global stage—confirming the strength of expanding the rainbow over international borders.

Toronto, Ontario (PRWEB) July 15, 2014

Pride Toronto is pleased to announce that all the organizers and volunteers of WorldPride 2014 Toronto have been chosen by the International Lesbian and Gay Cultural Network to receive the “Rainbow Warrior 2014” award “for their outstanding support for international LGBT solidarity and LGBT culture.”

"WorldPride 2014 Toronto has been an extraordinary LGBT happening on a global stage—confirming the strength of expanding the rainbow over international borders and focusing on the powerful role of LGBT culture in the battle against homophobia, intolerance and silence," says Bill Schiller, secretary general of the ILGCN Information Secretariat - Stockholm.

The ILGCN is supported by the Nordic LGBT cultural organization Tupilak. Earlier ILGCN and Tupilak awards have gone to South Africa's Nelson Mandela, Amnesty International, International Humanists, the Auschwitz Museum Poland, Sweden's Civil Rights Defenders, the European Union's LGBT network, the former Council of Europe's human rights commissioner Thomas Hammarberg and others.

WorldPride 2014 Toronto was an international gathering and celebration of human rights, featuring the Trans* Pride March, the Dyke March, the WorldPride parade, and Canada’s largest LGBTQ arts & culture festival. The WorldPride Human Rights Conference, presented by the Bonham Centre at the University of Toronto, drew participants from over 50 countries. Past Pride Toronto International Grand Marshals (IGMs)—activists who lead the Pride parade each year and represent a region of the world—also returned for the event, joining 2014 IGM Anna Rekhviashvili from Georgia.

“We are honoured that WorldPride 2014 Toronto has been chosen as the recipient of the 'Rainbow Warrior 2014' award,” said Shelley Craig, co-chair of the Pride Toronto Board of Directors. “It was a 10-day celebration grounded in the struggle for global human rights, and the dialogue we were privileged to host will be the catalyst for future community-building around the world.”

About WorldPride 2014 Toronto and Pride Toronto

WorldPride 2014 Toronto was an international celebration, taking place from June 20 - 29, 2014, that incorporated activism, education, and the history and culture of global LGBTTIQQ2SA communities. It was presented by Pride Toronto under license from InterPride.

Pride Toronto is the not-for-profit organization that hosts the city’s Pride Festival, an annual event in downtown Toronto during the last week of June and one of the premier arts and cultural festivals in Canada. It is also one of the largest Pride celebrations in the world with an estimated attendance of over one million people. It celebrates the history, courage, diversity and future of Toronto's LGBTTIQQ2SA communities.

*LGBTTIQQ2SA is an abbreviation used to represent a broad array of identities such as, but not limited to, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, intersex, queer, questioning, two-spirited, and allies.